His body trembled—violently.
Death clutched Daren's heart like a nightmare, nearly suffocating him.
The freezing rain lashed against his cheeks and bounced off.
It felt like every muscle, tendon, and even cell had been drained of energy, wrung dry by the surge of adrenaline flooding his body.
Reflected in his pupils, the face of the future Pirate King rapidly expanded—a furious, untamed, and overwhelming presence, dragging a supreme grade blade crackling with black and red lightning…
If he didn't retreat, he would die.
He would die for sure.
The man before him was none other than the future Pirate King—Gol D. Roger. The one who killed the Overlord Rocks and stood at the peak of the world's power!
Even a monster-like genius such as Dragon had been seriously wounded by this single slash!
He hadn't yet mastered Armament Haki.
He didn't have the elemental buffering power of a Logia-type Devil Fruit.
There was absolutely no way he could take this head-on!
Trying to block it meant certain death!
He had to retreat.
He needed to retreat.
Did he... really have to retreat?
No!!
Daren's body suddenly stopped shaking.
His eyes narrowed, and his black pupils flooded with frenzied, bloodshot veins.
A surge of murderous will exploded from his chest and twisted into a savage grin.
He'd survived countless near-death battles.
He'd endured day after day of hellish training.
He'd worked for years in the North Blue, cautiously building his strength.
He'd finally earned a spot in the Officer Training Camp—finally stepped out of the North Blue onto the world stage...
Wasn't it all for this?
To clash with world-class monsters like Roger, Whitebeard, and Shiki?
And now... the future Pirate King, Gol D. Roger, was standing right in front of him!
"I'm not backing down!!"
Daren roared, eyes blood-red.
An overwhelming aura burst from his body, clashing against Roger's Conqueror's Haki.
Two cyclonic spheres of force collided in midair, grinding violently against each other!
Daren's long-suppressed Conqueror's Haki finally erupted!
Crackling lightning filled the sky.
Roger paused slightly, his pupils contracting.
"Conqueror's Haki!?"
Below, Garp and Dragon shouted in unison.
"A 'King's Will,' huh? Pretty rare in the Marines... but your will is way too weak, brat!!"
Roger burst into laughter and gripped his sword with both hands.
From afar, it looked like he was dragging a torrent of black and red lightning as he swung down hard!
Crack!
Daren's Conqueror's Haki shattered like glass under the tyrannical strike—completely obliterated.
"Daren!!"
Tokikake screamed, eyes bloodshot.
Gion clenched her fists tight.
Garp launched into Geppo, cold sweat pouring down his brow.
Dragon's heart sank.
"It ends here!!"
Roger roared.
Death... descended.
In that moment, Daren's heart stopped.
Countless memories flashed through his mind.
Strength... Physique... Haki...
Every punch Byrnndi World had thrown in that legendary battle replayed clearly in his head.
It was like a beam of light pierced through the darkness in his mind.
The rush of breaking through, of standing at the summit, caused his tense, trembling muscles to instantly relax.
Suddenly, everything made sense.
He should've realized it sooner—
A physique stat of over 60 meant a defense as hard as Tekkai.
Agility over 60 meant explosive speed on par with Soru.
And strength over 60...
A blinding light erupted in Daren's eyes.
It meant...
"Armament Haki... Hardening!!" he roared.
As blood surged and power flooded through him, the Commodore's right fist was suddenly wrapped in a pitch-black, metallic sheen—an invisible armor with a steel-like gleam!
There was no time to savor this newly grasped power.
Face twisted in murderous glee, Daren threw a punch straight ahead.
Toward that world-shattering Kamusari slash... without flinching!
—Head-on with the Pirate King!!
CLANG!!
The sky boomed like a struck war drum, a violent shockwave exploding outward with them at the center.
The sea raged with monstrous waves once more.
In everyone's stunned gaze—
CRACK!
The Armament Haki on Daren's fist shattered instantly, cracks crawling across it before it exploded.
His Armament Haki broke.
His steel-hard skin broke.
The tough muscles underneath broke.
His entire arm burst into a cloud of blood and torn muscle.
"Kamusari!"
With Roger's roar, a blinding arc of blade light smashed into Daren's chest!
The slash tore from the left of his neck down to the right of his abdomen—nearly splitting him open entirely, ribs laid bare.
Blood erupted in great torrents, spraying across Roger's face.
Daren looked like he'd been struck by lightning.
All color drained from his face.
Everyone aboard the Oro Jackson saw it clearly—
With Roger's slash, the Marine Commodore's body folded sharply in half, collapsing like a broken doll as he plummeted downward.
"Roger, you bastard!!"
Garp finally arrived, his punch wrapped in black lightning and descending like a meteor toward Roger.
Roger moved to counter—
But just then, the rapidly falling Daren clenched his teeth, forced his arm up with great effort, and grinned wickedly:
"At least... I'm taking some interest back!"
As he made that move, he suddenly saw a tall figure leap from the warship—and in the next moment, he crashed into a warm embrace.
At the same time, Roger froze, suddenly feeling a strong tug at his belt.
But under Garp's pressure, he had no time to react and raised his sword to block.
CLANG!!
BOOM!!
Fist and blade collided—sparks flying, shockwaves erupting.
Roger's face suddenly turned beet red.
His lower body felt... strangely cold.
He looked down.
What he saw nearly made him faint.
His belt—metal buckle and all—had been yanked down by the force, along with his black trousers...
All that remained on his lower half was a bright red pair of underpants.
"Bwahahaha!! Roger, your pants fell down!!"
Garp burst into laughter.
...
(50 Chapters Ahead)
p@treon com / PinkSnake